“Asking me what problems the school has? But I haven’t properly attended class for almost a month.”
“Everything’s fine, I guess…… If I really have to say something, does the English teacher being too noisy count?”
“Asano-kun is running for student council? For real?! I have to go cheer!”
“Huh, there’s actually a club in school that specializes in solving other people’s troubles? Are you guys called the Service Club or the Neighbor Club? What, the student council? Big bro, are you messing with me?!”
Asano Toru put down his phone and leaned back.
Three days.
In these three days, Amamiya Shizuru had indeed not disturbed him again, but his workload had not decreased in the slightest.
Making calls, sending messages, intercepting people during breaks, visiting after school, he had forced himself to ask everyone he could ask.
Apart from a small portion of people whose problems were extremely abstract, most of the suggestions raised were reasonably serious.
There were also some people who directly agreed to become joint recommenders, probably moved by Asano’s relentless spirit, or simply feeling that the appearance of the name “Amamiya Shizuru” in the student council campaign would be very interesting.
In any case, the list was slowly growing longer.
Overall, progress was unexpectedly smooth, even deserving of the phrase “full of vitality.”
Then this morning, a message popped up on LINE.
——Come over during lunch break today.
Damn it.
This self-centered problem girl must have pushed all the work onto him, then hid alone in the Second Student Guidance Room blowing the air conditioner, drinking tea, and reading books.
Did she think she was some sharp-tongued tsundere light novel heroine?
Even if she was, this kind of character with a terrible attitude and a bad heart had already been eliminated ten years ago.
Asano continuously slandered her in his heart, but in the end he would still go.
Don’t misunderstand.
It was not at all because he was looking forward to the “reward” Amamiya had mentioned.
It was purely because the work progress needed to be reported.
The classroom during breaks was always noisy and bustling.
The boys liked to gather in groups of two or three.
Asano raised his eyes and saw Matsuda and Yamashita in the front row huddled together, occasionally glancing back at him, as if holding something back.
“You two are acting weird today.”
Sure enough, after Asano spoke, the two immediately turned around. “I heard that these past few days you and Amamiya Shizuru started a club called the Jack-of-All-Trades?”
Huh? The rumors have already spread this far?
Asano corrected them. “It’s not a jack-of-all-trades. We’re preparing to run for the student council.”
But Matsuda and Yamashita actually did not care about what Asano and the others were really doing.
“So these past few days you’ve really been with her every day?”
“……Mm.”
The moment the words fell, several boys around them gathered over. “Not bad, Asano. You actually dared to face her head-on.”
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Asano was baffled.
“You don’t know? The Amamiya family is a famous political family in Tokyo, with enormous power behind them. If you really offend her, even after entering society you’ll find it hard to take a single step.”
“That exaggerated?”
Asano recalled the scene of touching Amamiya Shizuru’s thigh and pulling off her stockings that day.
Calculated by that situation, Asano Toru was probably already past the stage of “offending.”
Speaking of which, just because of family background, Amamiya Shizuru was held in awe and kept at a distance by the entire school?
Setting aside whether the logic held up or not, the campus ecology of Neon was truly simple and crude.
“Although Amamiya Shizuru herself is truly beautiful,” Matsuda sighed, “I heard her personality is also super terrible. Really feel sorry for you, Asano.”
Actually…… it wasn’t that bitter.
An untimely scene of the bathroom doorway filled with water vapor flashed through Asano’s mind, as well as the two pairs of stockings in his wardrobe that still had not been returned.
“Yeah.” Yamashita nodded vigorously beside him. “Only Miss Yaegaki Ruri is our one and only light.”
The surrounding boys let out a unified sound of agreement.
Lunch break.
After Asano finished the yakisoba bread from the school store, he walked toward the east wing of the school building, then went upstairs and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Amamiya Shizuru was sitting at the desk eating her bento.
Today she had tied her long hair into a loose low ponytail at the back of her head, with a few strands that had not been caught hanging by the sides of her face.
“Does Amamiya-san have any new instructions?”
Asano’s tone was much more casual than before as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
Compared to before, he had relaxed quite a bit.
Humans were indeed a species with extremely strong adaptability.
“Nothing much.” Amamiya picked up a piece of chicken thigh meat.
“Just checking the progress, and incidentally seeing whether you’ve been slacking off.”
“As Amamiya-san’s foremost general under her command, how could I possibly slack off.” As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously fell on Amamiya’s bento.
The girl’s bento was especially abundant.
Inside the deep blue bento box were neatly arranged teriyaki boneless chicken thigh pieces, bacon-wrapped asparagus rolls, dashi thick omelet, okra and chikuwa rolls, a few cherry tomatoes, and underneath a bed of seared bonito furikake rice.
The colors were bright, the aroma tempting.
Sensing Asano’s gaze, she raised her eyes to look at him, her gaze carrying undisguised wariness.
“I won’t share with you.”
“I would never eat your bento!” Asano immediately declared. “Besides, I’ve already had lunch.”
Is this girl’s sense of caution too strong?
In her eyes, am I some kind of wild cat that pounces the moment it sees food? Asano grumbled inwardly.
“Yakisoba bread and coffee milk?” Amamiya sighed. “Asano-san, that combination is the standard configuration for malnutrition.”
“How do you know it’s from the school store?”
“Boys who finish lunch at this hour can only be the school store faction.” Amamiya lightly sighed.
It’s fine, it’s only lunch. Just eat something good in the evening. Asano comforted himself, then casually asked:
“This couldn’t have been made by Amamiya-san herself, could it?”
“Yes.” Amamiya sent a piece of thick omelet into her mouth, chewing slowly before speaking. “I like cooking for myself.”
There was a sense of security.
“Amamiya-san is truly multi-talented.”
“Even if you praise me, I still won’t give you any.”
“I don’t have that idea!”
Amamiya brushed the hanging strands of hair behind her ear, a extremely faint smile floating at the corner of her lips.
“In view of Asano-san’s recent hard work,” Amamiya set down her chopsticks, interlocking her hands and propping her chin, “as the future student council president, I can make a bento for you every day. What do you think?”
Wh…… what?
Asano’s first thought in his mind was: This woman couldn’t be thinking of poisoning me, could she?
But a secret base with only two people, a beautiful girl personally making bento every day—wasn’t this the classic development in a romantic comedy?
Asano looked at the girl opposite him again and once more realized the fact that she was indeed very beautiful.
Those eyes were as clear as the sky after rain.
Clearly her attitude was so cold it could make people shiver, yet the words that came from her slightly parted lips were something as sweet as “what do you think.”
This contrast was far too cunning.
The fish is about to take the bait. Amamiya sneered coldly in her heart.
Boys of this age were indeed easy to deceive.
The matter of putting a little extra vegetables in the bento every time was a very cost-effective trade for a worker loyal to herself.
Moreover, watching the process of Asano’s intense mental struggle itself was quite interesting.
Yet just at the edge of being tempted, Asano slammed on the brakes at the cliff’s edge.
Close call, almost fell for it again.
This highly deceptive appearance and words almost made Asano forget what a terrible existence the woman in front of him was.
Wanting to buy his labor with a mere bento was far too cheap!
Where’s the double pay? Where’s the year-end bonus?
It’s not like he’s an employee. His position as campaign manager was obtained through threats.
He cannot repeat the same mistake again!
“I am not the kind of man who can be bought by a mere bento.” Asano sternly refused.
“Mere?!”